Your Right to Know

Reynoldsburg’s need for more money was discussed at a City Council meeting last night, with some
council members clashing with the city auditor about whose job it is to relay the message to the
public.

Council is considering asking voters in November to hike the city’s income tax to 2.5 percent,
from 1.5 percent, to ward off declines in city services, including property-maintenance
enforcement, road repairs, police protection and parks and recreation.

Voters have three times voted down income-tax increases in Reynoldsburg, prompting council to
also consider lowering the city's income-tax credit by half, which effectively would raise taxes
for 80 percent of workers who live in the city.

Councilman Chris Long wanted to know how the $5 million raised annually from the tax increase
discussed last night would be spent.

It has been more than 30 years since the city raised its income tax.

“It wasn’t effectively explained and there was no detail,” Long said. “We need to give an
accounting for the citizens of Reynoldsburg. I mean details. What are we going to spend it on?”

Long interrupted Harris: “It is not my job to sit up here and sell something to the public.”

Harris countered: “Council is responsible for the appropriations for raising taxes and making
expenditures.”

If voters don’t approve an income-tax hike, city officials could fall back on cutting the
income-tax credit in half, which was discussed earlier.

Residents who work outside the city currently get a full credit, paying none of Reynoldsburg's
1.5 percent income tax. If the proposed ordinance passes, those workers would pay 0.75 percent to
Reynoldsburg on top of what they pay to the municipality where they work.

Harris said that lowering the tax credit would bring in more than $3 million annually.

But council tabled that idea for at least two weeks.

It will introduce the income-tax increase plan at next Monday’s meeting, said Barth Cotner, of
the finance committee.

Resident Carrie Acosta urged the city to better explain why it needs the funds.

“We have to have it or else dire things are going to happen,” she told council.

She wants the city to post its master plan prominently on its website, “so people won’t have to
dig for it.”